Monday, January 04, 2010

8:16 PM

Silk Naturals Haul / Lip Product Swatches

Product : Silk Naturals Lipgloss / Lipstick

Where to Buy : http://www.silknaturals.com/

Price : US$4.75 - $US5.95 (Varies with formulas)

Quantity/Size: These are tiny, the tubes are slightly thinner than the average chapstick tubes.

Fragrance : lightly scented , smells like vanilla to me. Nothing too noticable once the product is on the lips

My rating : 4.5 / 5

Repurchase? : Yes, Definitely

1 reason to get it/them: Because they are Silk Naturals' "Slimshines" with lipcare properties at only around US$5 each!

Texture: I think these are good dupes of MAC slimshines. If you like those, definitely try these.

All the formulas are smooth and easy to apply. None of these are completely matte. Some are more shimmery than others. There are also colors with no shimmer at all but with a very natural looking glossy finish.

Pigmentation / Color Payoff: Almost all the colors I chose are warm colors, more suitable for golden/warm/olive skin tones. I also prefer to leave my lips natural and avoid strong colors. SN still has a variety of plums and mauves that I would not be trying because those colors definitely will not suit me.

The normal formula ( white stickers) are the mostly very sheer.These This means that the same color will look different on different people.

You can tell from the swatch that there's not a lot of difference between some colors. Personally I cant tell an obvious difference between mimosa, foreplay and darling on my lips. Then again, my lips are rather pigmented. If your lips are more on the pale side, the result will definitely be different.

The Vegan, organic and black label lipglosses are a lot more opaque than the normal formula,still not totally opaque, but good enough.

Shades I like : For a shimmery natural , I love Foreplay, Mimosa, Precious, Negligee, Caramel and Maiden.

Precious is the most shimmery of all the lipstick I got, while caramel and maiden doesn't have any noticeable shimmer.

Rhapsody and Tender are lovely when I want a little bit of color as if I just bit my lips. A sheer coat of Rare berry also gives a similar effect in a cooler tone.

Polished Pink and Darling almost look the same on my lips because they are quite sheer. But they are too dark / reddish for my liking so I usually only wear one coat of these. As a result, there's almost no noticeable difference.

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I also got a foundation refill and some samples to formulate my own Silk Natural's foundation.
I did order from them about a year or more ago, but I was too big of a Everyday Minerals fan to really put my heart down and make a switch.
Finally I've decided I'm gonna do it now!

It's stated that each refill pack should contain 1 table spoon per package, enough to fill a 30g jar. But it filled about 2/3 of my 20g jar. I dont have an issue with that personally, but I did buy a 30g jar elsewhere because I wanted to put my SN foundation in. That's ok I guess, i'll just use my 20g jar. I guess if you have medium or deep medium skin tone 1pack fo Ivory with the colored base will probably fill a 25g jar. Silk Naturals is know for the high quality ingredients they use in their foundation though. The price is still much cheaper as compared to most counter brand foundations.

Here are the pics with the full size refill pack next to a 30g jar of my chacott powder that I have. The smaller package is their sample pack.

Labels: Lip Products, review, Silk Naturals, swatch

Saturday, August 01, 2009

6:14 PM

Review: SKII Facial Treatment Essence.

Product: SKII Facial Treatment Essence
Price: S$120-S$159 for 150ml (varies with stores)

RE: Texture/Scent/Application
The SKII Facial Treatment Essence (FTE) is so popular and widely advertised that I don't think it's possible for ANY lady not to know what it is. First of all, this is fragrance free , or at least it is almost 95% scentless to me. However I am certain that it contains alcohol because there is a very very faint smell, but it is there. This looks just like water and applies like a toner even though it is named an essence. I pour this on my palms and pat the liquid on my face. I use this after toning with a hydrosol. There is no residue of any kind at all. It gets absorbed really nicely.

RE: Effectiveness
I will divide my review into two parts in to " The first 3 mths" and " After" I could see an improvement on my skin right from the beginning that I used this. First of all, it hydrates my skin well enough on most days. I have dry to normal combination skin that is really sensitive and sometimes, dehydrated. After using this, I don't use a moisturiser most of the time.
This might be different if you are living in a dry climate. Singapore is an island surrounded by the sea so the humidity level is always very high.

After 1-2 weeks of usage , (at least once and at most twice a day) I noticed that the pores on my cheeks looked smaller. My skin does not feel so dehydrated anymore. It was amazing. My skin looked more radiant and supple after a month. That was when this became my Holy Grail product. However, we have to be practical here. There is a limit to how much a product can do for your skin.

So it basically maintained my skin condition during the 2nd month. It made my pores looked smaller, hydrated my skin, and my face looks more radiant. My Tzone does not oil up as much as well. Even though this is considered an expensive product. I though it was worth the price for all these benefits, especially since it does not break me out.

Now for the "After"
Sometime into the 3rd month of usage I began getting breakouts. Just a couple here and there sometimes which I dismissed as those time-of-the-month breakouts.

However, I soon realised that they weren't. I began getting cystic acne on my cheeks. One or two on each cheek. Normally those breakouts that came on the time of the month go away easily after a day or 2 of spot treatment using Benzoyl Peroxide gel (5%). These didn't go away for up to a week, and more before one heals.

I reduced the usage of my skin care products to try to find out which was causing the breakouts and I narrowed it down to the FTE. I looked up makeupalley.com for reviews because I though its really weird that a HG product can suddenly break me out. I wanted to be sure that it IS the FTE. It is after all S$150 a bottle and it worked so well I just didn't want believe it was the one causing the breakouts.

I found out from numerous reviews on makeupalley.com that states it broke out the user after a usage for a while ( varies from weeks to months) . I was so disappointed!. But I still wanted to test it out. So I stopped all the other products that I apply on my face and only used the FTE after my cleanser for 2 days. And VIOLA! two cystic acne started to form just after that two days.That was two weeks ago.

I have not touched the FTE since then and my skin is now free of new breakouts. I am still recovering from the acne marks that are left on my cheeks. I id some research about the FTE and read more reviews. It seems that the FTE will thin out the skin etc. Pitera seems to be a kind of bacteria or yeast (I really can't remember, it was weeks ago when i read about it). The product will work really well at first, but then some people's skin will react to it after a while depending on how sensitive the skin is.

So now, the FTE is no longer part of my skincare routine. I foudn out that natural products works best on my skin. The natural soaps I got from Chagrin Valley works wonderful and the moisturizers, hydrosols and what nots from Garden of Wisdom are doing my skin lots of good.

The only chemical product I have in my skincare routine that I use on an everyday basis now is just my cleansing oil and eye makeup remover and eye gel/essence.I still use the charcoal mask,Ginvera Marvel gel, SKII facial treatment cleanser now and then, but not more than 3 times a week.

I am beginning to think that it is because I am switching to mineral makeup and organic skin products that my skin seems to be unable to tolerate normal chemical products. I'm not sure now if that is a good thing or bad thing.Natural skincare is a lot cheaper than counter brands though. ;)

Labels: review, SKII, skincare

Friday, July 17, 2009

11:38 PM

Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner Velvet Rope - Purchase + Review

The Small package I've been waiting for finally arrived. I got this off Ebay on 30th June 09. It arrived today , 17th July 09. I think the shipping time is very reasonable. The seller must have sent it out within 1day of my purchase. However, the seller did not reply to any of my emails. I left a comment that I wish to be informed of the date my item is sent out so I can gauge when to expect the item. And when to assume that the parcel is lost. But I did not get any reply whatsoever, I emailed the seller 2 times and messaged him/her via ebay 2 times. Didn't get any reply too. It's good that At least i got my items safely. It just felt like I was purchasing from a machine , feels really insecure even though the seller has a high rating.
Link to the seller's site: http://myworld.ebay.com.sg/*allura*/

This thing is TINY. Really tiny. The box is about 5" x4.5" (abt 11cm x12.5cm)

Left to Right: Yeyo, 1999, Zero, Burbon, Stash

Price : 4 / 5 , USD16 each (full size) .

Liners from promotional travel size packs are about half that of a full size liner.

Quality: 4 / 5

Finish/Texture: These either have a satin matte finish or satin w/ shimmers. They are VERY creamy and goes on so easily and doesn't tug my eyelids at all. These also smudges very nicely to create a softer/smokey look. Having said that, it also means you have to sharpen or shape the tip of the pencils more frequently because the tip will go blunt easily. Personally , I don't mind my eyeliners being a bit blunt, if I wanted a thin and precise application I'll use a liquid or gel liner instead. If you are someone who likes you eyeliner pencils to have a nice sharp tip, then you will be very irritated with these.

Lasting Power: These lasts the longest on me. They are totally on par with; better in some ways; than my HG Indelible gel liners. It is even better because the "ZERO", black color eyeliner, stays on my waterline for the longest time. I only have to touch up the very outer corners even though it's not really very obvious. This is the only thing that stays on my waterline for a reasonable period of time. Even when I used my indelible gel liners, I had to touch up my waterline every time I check the mirror.

However, some colors lasts longer than others. Namely, the shimmery ones don't last as long as the satin matte ones. Bourbon seems to fade a little, and the shimmers will sort of"disperse" after a while.

Overall: These are high quality eyeliners that applies beautifully. Although they are not cheap, they aren't the most expensive eyeliners around either. I wanted to try them out because there are so many good reviews about them. I wouldn't say I cant live without them. I know that, I can find good enough (but not as good) dupes of these from drugstore brands. With the help of a good eyeshadow primer, it's easy to make eyeliners smudge proof and waterproof too. Then again, can you resist these when there are so much hype about them? I obviously couldn't!

Labels: Eyeliner, review, swatch, Urban Decay

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

3:11 PM

NYX Pearl Mania Review w/ Swatches

Product: NYX Pearl Mania Loose Pearl Eyeshadow
Price : USD1.25-USD3.50 ( varies at difference stores and websites)
Ingredients: Mica (and) Iron Oxides (and) Titanium Dioxide

Price : 5 / 5
The quality of these babies is really really good. These are usually on sale for about USD1.50 each before shipping. You get about a 12gm jar full of product, so dont let the packaging fool you. These are really value for money. They are nicely pigmented and shimmery. The shimmers/glitters are also very finely milled. When I got these, there were only like, twenty colors, I chose 15 of those that will look good on me. However, NYX just came out wiht soem new colors. So the total color selection should be 30 (or so)now.

Packaging : 2/5
The original packaging is impossible to work with. The opening of the little container it too small to let a brush in. It's only big enough to dip in one of those sponge tip applicators. I ended up depotting mine into some stackable 10gm jars. But i still got some powders left, enough to fill a 1inch pan. Thats a lot of product for just USD1.50.

That's about it I guess, its a really short review. I often realise that when I like a product, I have very little to say , other than " It's great!"
The swatches below are applied on the TKB Trading Eye fix (Eyeshadow Primer)

Labels: eyeshadow, Lip Products, NYX, review, swatch

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

3:18 AM

NYX MegaShine Lipgloss : Review/Swatches I

Product: NYX Megashine Lipgloss (aka Goddess of the night Gloss)
Price : USD3.75 - USD8
Ingredients: Mineral Oil, Octyldodecanol, Butyrospermum Parkii Fruit, Bees Wax, Paraffin, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Grape (vitis vinifera)Seed Oil, Butyl Parahydroxy Benzoate, Propyl Parahydroxy Benzoate, Microcrystalline Wax, Ceresin, Polybutene, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Ricinus Communis (castor) Seed Oil, Tocopherol (vitamin E acetate), Mica, Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide, D&C Red No.7 Calcium Lake, Fragrance.

I left out "Smokey Look" in the photos because it was in one of my bags and i totally forgot about it til now.

SweetHeart: a shimmery, very light pink.

Lollipop: a shimmery, coral pink that is a bit more sheer.

Frosted Beige: a shimmery, very light nude

Chestnut: a shimmery, light medium nude shade

Natural: a cream finish, medium neutral pink

Oro: a shimmery, medium copper gold

Candy Shop: a slightly shimmery, sheer and buildable coral pink

Smokey Look: a cream finish with barely noticeable shimmers. A Neutral pink lighter and more pink than natural.

These glosses are more expensive than the NYX round lip glosses. These are of a thicker and more sticky consistency than those too. However , I wouldn't say I like these better than the round lip gloss or are of higher quality. I think the two are just different kind of glosses. One is a lightweight thin gloss, the other is a thicker, more sticky and slightly longer lasting gloss.

The megashine glosses are sticker than the round lipgloss , but not as sticky as those glosses that feels like glue on the lips. However, when the wind blows, do expect some hair to get stuck on the lips (something I cant stand). That, somehow didn't stop me from using and liking these.

For this reason alone, I prefer the round lipsticks to these. After about a couple of hours of wear, after some gloss wear off, it's not so sticky anymore and it's bearable for me. That's why I still wear these even though i don't like sticky glosses.

I think there are 3 kinds of finish for the Megashine Glosses (from the reviews I saw on youtube as well as the colors that i have) .

There are the shimmery , slightly shimmery (almost non-noticable shimmers), and cream finishes.

My favourite shades are Lollipop, CandyShop and FrenchKiss. Lollipop and Candy Shop are more sheer in a sense that you wont be able to get the exact shade you see in the tube on your lips. ( You can with Natural , Oro, etc) . But I like them because of these, as it look more natural and does not accentuate my lip lines as much as some other colors.

I especially like Candy Shop because it makes my lips look almost glass like. My lines look less obvious, which is a surprise because megashine lipgloss do tend to accentuate lip lines. I love the coral pink tint it gives my lips. I just really like how soft it makes my lips look.

French Kiss is sort of a nice neutral pink that I can wear. I guess I am not such a fan of the very shimmery kind of gloss.

I guess this review is kind of short because i just keep repeating the same things over and over :S. The price is good, but I only get them when they are on sale because i do like the round lip gloss better

Labels: Lip Products, NYX, review, swatch

2:15 AM

NYX Jumbo Lip Pencils : Review/Swatches I

Product : NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil
Price : USD2.50-USD3.50
Ingredients: Ceresin Wax, Microcrystalline Wax, Polyethylene Wax, Beeswax, Squalane, Hydrogenated Resin, Hydrogenated Styrene, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Mineral Oils, Isopropyl Myristate, Polyisobutene, Butlated Hydroxy Anisole, Propyl Paraben, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, C.I.77491/2/9, C.I.15850, Pearl Powder.

Rose Brown: a satin finish, medium brown
Iced Coffee: a satin finish, neutral pink with brown undertones
Narcisse: a satin finish, dark red with very obvious blue undertones
Chestnut: a slightly metallic finish, light medium copperish coral pink
Almond: a satin finish, light nude color. great for nude lips for fair - light skin

I love the texture of the Jumbo lip pencils. They are harder than lipsticks, but still pigmented and creamy enough to go smoothly over the lips. Some colors are more creamy than others. Although they are called lip pencils, they work as lipsticks. Their staying power is also better than the round lipsticks. However, the color selection is very little compared to the round lipsticks.
These don't have a scent. However when you are applying it, you can smell the scent of the bamboo or wood that makes up the stick that is around the actual product.
Personally I think there are a lot of dark shades and not nearly enough of those nude and MLBB colors to choose from. There's nothing that I don't like about these; the price is also really cheap. Even after shipping and postage fees I paid less than SGD10 for each.
These are definitely better than some of the other drugstore brand makeup. NYX is probably the icing of the cake when it comes to pigmentation as compared to other drugstore brands.

I am planning to get more colors in the future because i think they make touch up a breeze.
.
The one that I am most excited about in this batch is Narcisse. I got it for days when i want to go into a darker look, or more dramatic inspired makeup looks. Too excited that I put it on the moment i opened my package and took a FOTD :)
This was supposed to look solemn and, well fierce. But it didn't really turn out that way :S
I love the shade of red , reminds me of that blood-stained lips of some old vampire show i watched way back. ;)

Labels: Lip Products, NYX, review, swatch

Friday, May 01, 2009

5:08 AM

Review: Gel Eyeliners (Coastal Scents Gel Liners)

**(please bare with the pictures becausei don't have my camera with me, so my phone's camera is extra lousy)**
Product: Gel EyeLiners (Refer to Coastalscents.com)
Origin : CoastalSents.com , Ebay (i got them from ebay, you can leave a tag/email me if you want to know which seller i got mine from)
Price: 5/5 , USD3.98 - USD6.95 (depending where you get them from)
Quality : 2 /5 (as a gel liner) , 5/5 ( as CREAM Eyeshadow!)
Color Selection: 4/5
Repurchase?: Definitely! i want to get more colors already. They quantity of each jar is way more than that of MAC/indelible/KATE/maybelline gel liners

These worked wonderfully as cream shadows. However, they arent as waterproof as our KATE or M.A.D minerals's indelibel gel liners, Or MAC FluidLine. But if you dont rub your eye or tear up, they stay up fine.

Quality : First of all, these are all very pigmented. However I'd say the matte ones are more pigmented than the satin/shimmery colors. They did not crease of flake on my eyelids when i used them as cream shadows. Because of these, i did not need to use a primer at all because the colors were intense enough and they didn't crease on their own anyway.
They don't transfer onto clothes/my fingers. I have no idea why they just didn't work as eyeliners for me because they really stay put as cream shadows.

Texture wise, these are very creamy and blends so easily. These are softer than MAC and indelible gel liners. They are somewhere, around the same softness as maybelline gel liners if you have them. However i did notice that some tend to be softer than others. I guess this is what makes it cheap because consistency is not exactly great. But this didn't affect the performance of the product so i don't mind.

02 = Black ( CS True Black), MAtte

03 is a MATTE dupe of maybelline's dark brown gel lliner. Its a very dark chocolate brown when dried.

04 = True Silver color , metallic

06 = Gold ( CS Gold)

07 = cream color , shimmery/metallic

09 = White ( CS white) , Matte

12 = grayish nude color, shimmery/metallic

18 = deep olive/khaki green, slight shimmer

19 = light mauvey pink, satin finish

22 = copperish brown , satin finish

23 = light peachy coral pink , satin finish

24 = antique gold , satin finish

27 = light lime green with a bit of yellowish gold, satin finish

Labels: Eyeliner, review

Monday, April 27, 2009

2:13 PM

NYX Mosaic Blush : Haul+ short review

I do tend to get a little, just a little excessive when it comes to trying out makeup products. But thats also because these are really affordable. Retails for anywhere between USD5.70-USD8 online. I got these at nonpareilboutique.com at 20% off. So the price ended up to be a little over USD5 each. ( which is a really good steal.

Color in picture is at least 80% true to life

Top row - Truth , Cafe, Peachy ( the one at the end in the middle is Highlighter)

Btm Row - Love, Dare, Paradise

*Truth is sheer but buildable. It gives that golden/bronze gold.

*Cafe is really weird coz it gives me a medium red flush even though it looks totally Brown in the pan.

* Peachy does not have too much color, gives my face a natural flush. not too orange/pink at all.I dont think it brightens up my face though. Just gives me a bit of color.

*Love is really pigmented, have to apply lightly or else will look like an orange!

*Dare is My favourite ! I can get a nice rosey coral pink with it.

*Paradise is also really pigmented. You can either get a pink flush if u apply lightly, or build it up to a hot pink. This is a true true pink. Not really something i'll use.

*Highlighter is really really really really great. It is creamy and pigmented. I only need a Little bit to highlight my cheekbones. I also use this to highlight my brow bone and nose bridge. Out of the 7 that i got, I am the MOST pleased with this. It has that really natural satin finish that gives you that healthy glow. Does not make my face look oily at all like some highlighters tend to. And because it is not a shimmery highlighter, even up close you wunt see bits of shimmer that makes you look obviously " made up"

The Mosaic blushes are great. They are pigmented enough that 1 - 2 swipes of the brush is enough for both my cheeks. For the shimmery ones, the shimmers are really natural, not chunky or over the top. The others just have a very nice satin sheen (including highlighter) . I dont have one that is perfectly matte and i'm not sure if there is one. However there will be fall outs on the pan after u swirl/swipe your brush in it. Thats the only con so far.

Labels: blusher, Highlighter, NYX, review

Friday, March 27, 2009

12:05 PM

Etude Haul : Marbeleade Baked Highlighter/Blusher

These babies came really quickly!. There was a spree for these for only SGD20 each! I think somer online sellers are selling it for close to SGD30 or more for these. They are the so-called MAC MSF Dupes. Now, I don't own any MSFs so i cant compare. I've been using Mineral makeup and have been using EGminerals.com's radiant glow powders which are made to serve the same purpose as MSFs.

My loot was in #02 - Orgy orange, and #04 - Glam highlight. I wanted to use the #02 as a blusher and the other as a highlight, but they didn't turn out as expected.

Here's a size comparison with my hand. I couldn't find the Nett weight of the product on the packaging. But I'm guessing it looks like an 8g or so.

#04 Glam Highlight

It's a really frosty pink with gold shimmer.

#02 - Orgy Orange

Is a shimmery Bronzey gold.

I tried to do swatched but they aren't very good, I'm sure there are other youtube/blog swatches out there which are better :) I'll do a short review

Short Review

They are very tightly pressed. they don't feel creamy. when i swirl my brush on the pan, there are some fall outs around the pan, veyr little, but enough to get u noticed.

These are ultra shimmery, I'll only suggest to use these as highlights / bronzer.

They are also very sheer. But they do give me that very nice "dewy" look .

However, use sparingly or else will end up looking like a disco ball/oil bathed.

#02 - Orgy Orange - I used this over my normal blusher and as a highlight on my cheekbones, forehead and chin. It gives me a very nice and natural healthy glow. my skin tone is like a golden olive, so white or pinkish highlighter makes me look really weird. This is great!, it has just the right about of color. I believe anyone with golden/yellow/olive skintone will like this.

I did not get #01 Orgy pink because i don't really like pinks on my skin. Though i might get it next time because i love this so much :)

#04- Glam highlight - I got this instead of #03 because this has a golden shimmer and is more of a warm color while #03 is more of a cool pink highlight. So i guess you can pretty much choose either one of these according to your undertone. I don't think there is a need to get both #03 and #04. This does not work as well as an overall facial highlight as #03 for me. I prefer to look natural and have a golden glow to enhance my skin color. I use this to highlight my Brow bone and nose bridge, I dust a bit of this to further highlight my cheekbones too. So far, this is the best shimmery brow bone highlight. I wore this all over my lid with just some smudge pencil eyeliner and it really seemed to brighten up my eyes. I'll definitely use this when i have on more subdued eye makeup.

Overall, I think these are pretty multipurpose, definitely use them on your eyelids or brown bone , OR anywhere you deem fit . Don't restrict these just to the Cheeks. :)

Labels: blusher, haul, Highlighter, review

Monday, March 23, 2009

12:23 AM

Avon Haul 2 - Retinol and Glazewear Lipsticks

My Avon Haul came! . It's considerably a small haul. I got it from the friendly spree organiser who always packs items in PostPacs again!. I wanted to get some More lipsticks because Avon's everlasting lipsticks are on sale. However I was too late for the spree! It was closed by the time i checked. :( Now i just hope she (the spree organiser) will open another spree soon.

I got 6 Lipsticks in total. 3 Glazewear and 3 retinol pumping Lipsticks. Most of the colors i Chose are either nudes or peaches.

Sorry No swatches yet!

Glazewear Lipsticks

(Champagne Glow, Coral Gables and Brown suger (i think).)

I got them at a sales price of USDaround USD3.99 Each

These are so GOOD they are so GREAT. Previously when i got AVOn stuffs these weren't available on the website. It's weird because some times the website doesn't display some items. I assume its because they are OOS or something. I got lucky this time and were able to get a few. Now i am totally regretting not getting a few more colors because the texture and finish of these are just wonderful. I like these better than the Maybelline collagen Lipsticks.

These go on VERY creamy. Feels great on the lips. They smell similar to the Pro-To-Go lipsticks. I really love these. They have a shimmery finish but looks very natural and doesn't make me look like i just dip my mouth into glitter.

Champagne Glow is a Perfect MLBB colour for me. It's a shade lighter than my lips. I guess u can say its nude to a certain extent.

Coral Gables is a Pink coral. I don't see any orange/peach in it at all. Thus i was a bit disappointed because i was expecting a nice peach colour with the name . Nonetheless, it will go great with purple and pink eye looks.

Brown Sugar- I have to apologise because i cant remember if the name was brown sugar. It was too dark for me the moment I opened it. So i gave it to my bestie, Vicky. (u can find the link to her blog at the side bar) . I think it'll work as a good MLBB / nude brown lipstick for her.

Beyond Color Retinol Lip Pimpign LipStick

(Peach Daiquiri, Beige Shimmer and Sugar Creme.)

These often go on sale, I think i go them as USD2.99 each

Peach Daiquiri came broke. It's not ONLY broke. It got stuck on the cover and i had trouble getting it out without squashing the product. When i saw the lipstick after opening the cap, (see picture) I was seriously shocked. I've never seen lipstick in this view before. LoL

Sugar Cane turned our , like a shimmery metallic. On my lips it looks like a metallic/robotic look gone wrong. It would have been a great real nude lipstick if it wasn't so metallic. It looks like metal on my lips!

Beige Shimmer turns out to be a good nude color for me. It's really creamy and feels good on the lips. I didn't feel any pumping action with any of the three i got. beige shimmer is a brown nude color with a shimmery satin kind of finish. Not pure satin, but not as shimmery as most shimmery L/S

Peach Daiquiri reminds me of NYX's Diamond Sparkle Lipstick in Apricot. However this looks much better and the shimmers are not over the top like with nyx. This one is quite sheer. It is a light peachy apricot color. This is my favourite natural "peachy apricot" lipstick so far.

Labels: avon, haul, Lip Products, review

Monday, March 16, 2009

11:57 PM

NYX Haul + Lipgloss Swatches

YAY! , my nyx haul came. These were from cherryculture.com. I actually joined a spree this time also because I was too lazy to organise one myself.

I got only 2 of the NYX round LIpgloss previously, in Cafe latte and Apricot. I really Love them! They are more pigmented than i thought adn goes on smoothly. I saw some youtube that says the stopper of the tube comes out when you pull out the lipgloss wand, lucky for me i didn have any of that problem!. The two I got previously and these 4 here are all in perfect condition so far :) .

Nyx Single Eyeshadow 1st column : EggPlant, Luster
NYX Single Eyeshadow 2nd column : Vanilla Sky, Blondie, Latte Foam
NYX Round Lipglosses : Whipped , Kiss(more shimmery), Real Nude, Peach
Followed by : NYX Mega shine Lipgloss in "Frosted Beige" , NYX Jumbo LipPencil in Almond.

I really like the NYX jumbo LipPencil. I defiantely will be adding more colors to my shopping list. The one i got goes on smoothly but not creamy. It is also very pigmented and lasts longer than the NYX round lipSticks! . Almond is a golden beige color. I tried it and wearign it alone makes me look too dead and its a bit metallic (jsut a bit) But it works wonderful when i apply Megashine "lollipop" and " Frosted Beige" as well as Round Lipglosses in " cafe latte " and "whipped" . I'm sure other nude or natural lipglosses will work beautifully with it too. It gives me the really nice glossy nude lip look.

I will also be checking out the NYX Mosaic Blushes in my next purchase :)

Here are some swatches of the NYX lipglosses I own. They are not alot, but i probably got most of the colors i will wear for the Round lipglosses already. I'll look at the Megashine Lipgloss color charts when I am free to see if there's anymore I can add on to my collection. I think I will be getting "CadyShop" but i'm still finding if there's other colors that will look good on me.
Finally, A picture of my NYX collection so far. It's really very small. I like their eyeshadows so far! However i think the pigmentation varies. Out of all that i got, "Kiwi" was not as pigmented as the others. I needed to apply twice as much eyeshadow for that as comapred to others. Overall they are great; they go on smoothly, are pigmented and are relatively creamy. All the colors i got so far are of a satin finish. I'll venture into Mattes next time :)

Meanwhile I have the new lipglosses to play with :)

Labels: haul, Lip Products, NYX, review, swatch

Sunday, March 15, 2009

1:14 AM

First Chagrin Valley Haul

My first order from Chagrin Valley came!. This was a pretty random haul. I saw a spree for it at sgspree and decided to try it since i wanted to get shea butter (or something similar) to moisturize my legs and hands and dry areas on my face. This store is famous for their soap. They have all kinds of facial soap, body soap and even shampoo soaps. I only got 3 soap samples suitable for the face because my cleanser is running out and i wanted to see if i can get a healthier replacement.

This is their Whipped Shea Butter. It's the first time i owned any whipped butter so it's very interesting!. I had it in the Lemon Almond scent. It's supposed to smell like chocolate / vanilla/ cake . But all i can smell is the artificial almond scent. I'm not saying they are using artificial ingredients, I'm just describing how it smells like. Usually i cant stand the artificial taste AND smell of almond, but this was fine. Compared to my Egyptian Magic cream, the EM was more easily absorbed, which really surprised me seeing how EM appears more oily. I know this is the first time i am bringing up EM on my blog. I'll do a dedicated review of it next time because it deserves it :)

Item no. 2 is their Body Butter Balm. This one's called "shea's So Fine" , which rhymes with " she's so fine". I though this name is really cute. made up of Shea butter , avocado butter, jojoba oil, organic coconut oil and Vita E. The ingredients are all heavenly goodness! But the tin's really small. ( 1oz, 20g) . Just the size to carry around in the purse.

The texture, it looks like its made up of small beads. When i run my fingers across the surface i can still feel the beads, but they melt when i rub my fingers together. There's no funky smell, which is really what i look forward to when buying these natural products because they don't contain harmful ingredients and aren't fragranced strongly. My nose can really be sensitive at times

Soap samples! Cost only USD2.60 each. And they are sized generously. They appear just like 1 layer smaller than the normal body soaps that's sold in the supermarkets. And since I'm using them for my face, one is going to last a really long time. This one is Carrot & honey. I saw some good testimonials of this.

This is the Cornsmeal & honey soap. Either this or the carrot honey has got wheatgerm as an ingredient. now wheatgerm is super comedogenic despite its benefits. I'm kind of afraid that it will break me out, so i am using this 3rd one first.

This is the Shea Rose Clay soap. Although described as a "scrubby soap" , nothing about it feels scrubby for me. It foams really well, so i guess the other soaps should soap well too.

This cleanses really well to, but unlike normal soaps this does not dry out my skin. I've been using it for a little over a week now and did not experience any negative effects. This a good sign.

I was using the SK2 cleanser previously. It contained rosehip oil and i got breakouts after using it for like a week. I'm not sure if it is because of the sk2 cleanser but i stopped it anyway.

So this took its place. I've not been getting enough rest recently and i guess that why i got some small break outs on my face. I don't think its the soap. Because they are painful, not like the kind i got from the cleanser previously.

Labels: haul, review, skincare

Saturday, March 07, 2009

3:35 AM

Review : Covergirl Lash Blast / Max Factor Extreme Lash Pumper

CoverGirl Lash Blast WaterProof (Very Black)

Price : USd7.65 on drugstore.com

Max Factor 2000 Calorie Waterproof Extreme Lash Pumper (Extreme Blackout)

Price : USD9.99 on drugstore.com

Max Factor and Covergirl often go on sale / have promotions so usually these can be gotten at a better price than what i wrote here. Unfortunately there wasnt any promotion when I ordered.

I heard a lot about these two mascaras on youtube and decided to give them a try because i wanted to try out new mascaras. I was a bit sick of my Majolica Majorca Lash Expander after going through 3 tubes. I'll do a seperate review on that later since it had been my HG mascara until i tried these.

I also saw on youtube that a few makeup gurus actually said that these two are exactly the same. Of course there are other reviews who said there's a slight difference. So i had to find out.

First of all, the packaging is really lik 95% similar. The 5% is the Color of the tube and brand. I took a picture of the brushes before i dip them into the mascara. It's not as obvious in the pic, but in real life these two mascara wands are exactly the same. Only difference is the color, the CoverGirl lash blast mascara want has an orange tip with black bristles. The shape, and everything else about it is the same.

I've been using it for more than a week, almost everyday. Truthfully speaking, I think these two are the same! Same product, same mascara wand etc etc. But the Max Factor is slightly more expensive than Covergirl adn doesn go on sale as much ( IMO) Since i got them both in waterproof and both in the blackest shade. They literally are the same. I kinds hope i didn throw away the original cap because I could be better off keeping one away as a back up first. . Now with the actual review. I'm only doing a single review because like i said, these two work exactly the same way on me.

Quality: 4.5 / 5 ( My HG mascara for now)

Price : 3.5 / 5

Packaging : 3 / 5

Volume

This is the mascara that gives me the most volume of all the drugstore brand I've tried. My favourite volumnizing amscara used to be Maybelline's turbo Boost. I think maybelline has one of the best mascaras for drugstore brands. ( over l'oreal , ZA , etc) Of course now i am liking these two better.

I usually apply 2 thin coats, or 3 if i have more time to spare. Applying these in thin coats better than 1 thick coat. The first coat is not impressive, it just colors the lashes a little. However on the 2nd coat is is obvious that there is a lot of lash "pumping" going on! I cant say how impressed i am with the volume it gives to my lashes. I'll say it thickens my lashes by about 3 times ( probably more!) . I'm being very rough and practical with this comparison. We all know its not to believe those advertisements that says "10X the volume! ) .

Again, this has to be applied in thin coats. When i applied a thick coat, my lashes looked spidery.

Texture

These mascaras are also one of the driest mascara I've bought. Most mascaras tend to be a bit too watery at first. I only start using a mascara about a couple of weeks after i open them so that they aren't so watery. Watery mascaras tend to weigh down my lashes and desttroy my curl before i even get out of the house. These work straight away when i opened them. Also, because the texture is thick, it can take a bit more time to apply. I'm still gettign used to this mascara so it takes me longer to apply this, but I can already feel that i am getting quicker on the 3rd application.

One thing to note, if the very first try was bad, do give it another try. My first application turnedout ver uneven , thick and spidery no matter how thinly i tried to apply. I am guessing its because its the first time dipping the brand new brush into the mascara so need to give it some time to "settle" on the bristles. (again just my guess)

Lengthening / Color

I did not notice much lengthening with these. But because the colors are really black , I end up with thick and black lashes that looks good even without obvious lenghtening. The blackest of the formulas are really pigmented. Definately not one of those black mascaras that look like dark grey.

Curl / Waterproof / Removal

These holds my curls really well. Although waterproof mascaras generally holds curls well, most tend to weigh down my lashes by the end of the day. These DON'T! Even after 10hours of wear my lashes still look like how they did when i just finish applying the mascara. The weather here is one of the most humid and sunny in the world and these held up really well.

I did not experiance smudging of any sort even after i apply eyedrops.

Of course, waterproof mascaras are all difficult to remove. But any of those duo-toned eyemakeup remover will do the job easily.

Overall, these are my New love ! Holy Grail! I'm planning to get the CoverGirl Volume Exact to try too, since it also got a good handful of good reviews :)

Labels: Covergirl, Mascara, Max Factor, review

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

9:50 PM

Overview/Comparison: Silica Finishing powders / Primer

Product A : Make Up Forever High Definition Powder

Ingredient: 100% Silica

Price: Ard SGD55 in Singapore

Product B: Silica Microsphere form TKBtrading.com (http://www.tkbtrading.com/item.php?item_id=290)

Ingredient: 100% silica microspheres

Price: sample USD1.50 before shipping (Around the same amount of product as MUFE HD powder)

Product Uses:

Silica Microspheres (quote) " We would suggest experimenting with Silica at 1% - 15% by weight of the formula for a powdered product. However it may also be used at 100% concentration as a finishing powder."

MUFE HD powder : is advertised to be as a finishing powder.

Generally goth products are supposed to create an air brushed look; Absorb facial oil/excess sebum and thus making make up last longer; Fill in wrinkles and fine lines.

Price Issues:

Absolutely NO need for comparison here. MUFE HD powder is about 25TIMES more expensive than TKB trading's silica microspheres.

Texture:

TKB's Silica looks like Icing sugar in the jar. While MUFE HD powder looks more clumpy.

I find that TKB's silica microsphere becomes airborne more easily than the HD powder.

However, When applied (rubbed onto skin) It is obvious that tkb's silica microshpere fees gritty while the HD powder feels smoother and smoother the more u rub the powder in! There is a HUGE difference in the efficiency of the two products in terms of " smoothing" the skin.

I feel that the part of skin i had HD powder on feels a Lot smoother than bare skin. However, there is very little, barely noticeable difference in the smoothness of skin on the part i applied the silica microsphere onto.

Oil Control:

I have to declare that i dont OWN the MUFE HD powder. A fellow Makeup addict showed me hers and we were swatching; comparing; sharing experiences. Apparently oil controlling powers of both powders are similar. My skin is sensitive , dehydrated but is usually more oily/ produces more sebum than i would like. The silica Microspheres is too drying for me. It is true that it has superb oil control. My face is matte even after 8 hours without a hint of shine. Again, apparently, The HD powder can also be very drying.

However, Overall i dont suggest using either one unless you really have oily skin / need the oil control.

Overall:

As far as for creating a "poreless look" . I dont find either one amazing. I think my Original Glow Everyday Minerals foundation does better at that. However, I am really 101% impressed by the smoothness the HD powder is able to achieve. I believe in terms of smoothing / priming the skin HD Powder wins Hands Down. THe TKB trading silica does not even come close. Side note, I believe TKb Trading's silica microspheres should already be one of the most finely milled available on Mineral Makeup related websites.

I dont see mysef purchasing either of these (again). However I have a small itch at the back of my head for the HD powder because it is amazing in making the skin smooth. If ua re thiking of purchasing silica powder to smoothen your skin texture, i'm sure you wunt be disappointed with the HD powder, even though it is pretty pricey for a 100% silica product. ( the difference is really significant too)

Since we are talking about Silicons I'll talk a bit about the Monistat Anti Chafing gel as a face primer.

Product C: Monistat Soothing care Anti-Chafing gel

Active Ingredients: Dimethicone

Price: USD7 - USD13 (42g tube)

This is very highly raved for use as a face primer to smoothen the skin / control oil and this making makeup look more flawless and last longer. Now, dimethicone is also a form of silicon; Silica is another form of silicon which usually appears on the solid/Powder form. Silicons have been known for their moisturising properties for trapping moisture inside the skin. This means it also traps the excess oil/sebum that makes our face shiny.

I have good experiences with this product. This is the first silicon based face primer I've used. Before this i used Blemish Balms which contains a significant amount of ingredients that are suppose to do the same job silicon does in setting/making make up last.

While this controls oil, it does not give me a powdery/dead matte look as compared to Silica powders. This makes my make up look natural and last longer. I did not experience dry skin with this. If i got silica powder on my hand, i will usually itch if the amount is quite a bit. Again, I did not have this problem with The monistat.

Furthermore, the monistat gel is in , well Gel form. This means it will not get airborne and whatsoever and does not have those serious side effects.

Cons : This can be a bit too thick for my liking. even though i just use a tiny bit for each application, this can feel a little thick on the skin. For this reason, I am not contemplating if i should ever get the SmashBox photo finish primer. I heard the latter is of a lighter consistency and so far one of the best of the best in the face primer collection.

Other Reviews of this gel can be easily found on google.com of yahoo.com

Labels: Primer, review

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

12:07 AM

Maybelline Watershine 3D Collagen Lipstick Review

These are the MOST AMAZING LIPSTICK EVER! . I'm still very excited about these. I got them in China when i went there on Holiday. They had a LOT more color selection compared to Singapore. But very little non-shimmery Light shades. So i only settled with 3. NOW, i am just regretting more by the day because these are so great. I know i would have loved the slightly shimmery ones too. Argh... *

Maybelline Counters
Product: Maybeling Watershine 3D Collagen Lipstick (such a long Name .Grrr* )
Price: ~ RMB79? ( ~SGD16 / USD 10)
Packaging : 4/5
Quality: 4.5 /5
Color Selection: Varies 2/ 5 - 3.5 / 5
Repurchase: YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES
Texture: Wonderfully Smooth
Coverage: light BUT Very buildable / layerable

Comment:
THIS IS MY FAVOURITE LIPSTICK! . It applies very smoothly. It feels light and nice on the lips. The texture is lighter than even some lipgloss.
The finish is a watery Shine that sort of looks like a lipgloss, but not quite so shiny. PERFECT.

These doesn dry out my Lips. I have lips that chap so easily. But even when i dont use lipbalm under these, i dont get chapped/dry lips.! I love love this. This review is SO short. But i really ike the finish, texture, quality, color, application of these lipsticks. I will definately get more if i can find colors that suit me. The local counters ONLY have like 6 colors? pathetic . I couldn find these online ( ulta/drugstore.com ) So i am still trying to find other places that carry these.

THESE are WONDERFUL! i know this is a short review and all I'm saying is how muchi like it. Thats coz there's almost nothing bad about it. Again i wunt talk about lasting power coz all moisturising lipsticks dont last very long. But these are better than most lipglosses.

I've been wanting to try the maybelline moisture extreme lipsticks. But the local counters (again) have very limited shades. So i'm looking on the net again. Now i just cant wait to try the moisture extreme because i have a feeling that they will be as good as these collagen lipsticks. since they are both maybelline. Ha .. ..

totally excited!

Labels: Lip Products, maybelline, review